Sunday, October 20, 2013

Welcome

Welcome
to my missionary blog. My name is
Jennie, and I will be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Here is where my family will post updates on how I am doing
and my emails about my experiences on my mission.

I am
going to be serving in the Bolivia Santa Cruz North mission, preaching the
gospel in the Spanish language. I report
to the Colombia MTC on November 6th, 2013.

A
mission was something I never considered on doing until this year. It had always been on my mind ever since the
prophet lowered the serving age for girls from 21 to 19, but it was still wasn’t
in my plans. Finally after much thought
and prayer, I prayed and fasted and went to the temple where I finally received
my answer- the one I knew all along in the back of my mind- that I needed to
serve a mission.

I
turned 19 in August, and now I’m getting ready to leave in about 2 weeks. Here are some of my thoughts.

First
and foremost, I love this gospel- the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has brought me so much happiness and
comfort in my life. Serving a mission
will give me opportunity to share this happiness with others.

Second,
I know that Lord has been preparing throughout my life for this. I know He has a plan for me. He knows me, and He knows what I need. And there’s a reason for everything. There’s a reason I took Spanish in high
school and college. There’s a reason I went
to school at BYU. My testimony has grown
so much there. There’s a reason I went to mission prep, even though I wasn’t
planning on a mission at the time. There’s
a reason I have the family that I have.
There’s a reason why I’ve been blessed with the friends I have, because of the good examples they are to me. He has put
people into my life that I needed, and that have blessed me in so many ways. He’s
been preparing long before I had any idea I would be serving a mission. He is ever aware of us and what we are going
through, and what we need to prepare us for the future. His plan for us is perfect, because His love
is a perfect love. This gospel is
centered around love. Elder Holland said
in his talk in this past general conference “Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who
loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said to the Relief
Society sisters: “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are
sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or
not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.”

Heavenly Father
loves us, and He always will.

Third,
because Heavenly Father loves us, he gives us trials.I know a mission will be hard.I know I will struggle and will have hard
times.But I know that they will help me
grow.Our trials are for our benefit, so
we can grow and become more like Him.

Finally,
here is a poem I wrote in my junior English class that I want to share. We were asked to write what our mission in
life was, and there was an option to write a short essay or poem, so I opted
for the poem.

My Mission

In a wisp of smoke

The blink of an eye

We could disappear

You live, and then
you die

How are we remembered

How do we make it
last

Do we take life slow

Or have we gone too
fast

I hope I make a
difference

I hope that someone
sees

I hope I change a
life or two

And somehow just
believe

Life is to be lived

To have love and some
fun

To leave a lasting
impression

And show the world
what I’ve done

That is my mission

And a mission it’ll
be

To change the world
for good

Just you wait and see

I want
to make a difference in someone’s life. I
want to share the gospel and bring happiness to people. I want to have new adventures. I want to learn things about myself, and grow
in the gospel. I want to forget myself
and get lost in the service of others. I
want to feel the love of my Savior for his people.

Despite
my fears, I’m excited to serve a mission.
I’m so grateful with everything the Lord has blessed me with, and for
this opportunity to serve Him.